Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has announced that the messaging platform now has 950 million monthly active users, up from 900 million in the spring. Durov had earlier credited this surge to the increasing popularity of games on the platform.
These games use The Open Network (TON), a blockchain system initially developed by Telegram but later handed over to outside developers as an open-source project.
The gaming trend began with Notcoin (NOT), a simple game where players tap to earn in-game coins with the promise of future crypto rewards. This game attracted millions of users who wanted to convert their virtual coins into NOT tokens on TON.
The NOT token was officially launched in May 2024 after getting support from major exchanges like Binance and OKX, making it the biggest gaming token event of the year.
Hamster Kombat, another popular game with a similar tap-to-earn mechanic, has also gained widespread popularity. With its engaging gameplay and various reward options, the game reached 100 million users by June.
Hamster Kombat has even attracted the attention of the Iranian government, which is concerned that it might distract voters from the presidential election. Earlier this month, Hamster Kombat had 239 million users, and it now the game is currently played by more than 250 million players